June 14, 2026

Petra and the 60,000 Letters

Petra, Britain's busiest TV dog.

In the 1960s, a dog named Petra became so popular with British children that the BBC found itself facing an unexpected administrative problem: answering her fan mail.

A photograph from the era shows Petra sitting at a typewriter, apparently hard at work. The caption explained the situation with complete seriousness.

According to the BBC, Petra had signed up to appear on the children's television program Blue Peter under the reasonable assumption that someone would provide her with "a nice shapely poodle as a secretary." Instead, she found herself buried beneath a mountain of correspondence after viewers were invited to write in for her photograph.

The result was 60,000 requests and one overworked dog. It seemed like Petra would have to answer them herself.

Like many good television stories, the photograph was mostly a joke. But the fan mail was very real. Petra was the first official Blue Peter pet. She joined the program in 1962 and became one of the most recognizable animals on British television. At a time when children's television felt a little less polished than it does today, she was a familiar face in living rooms across the country.

She was a mongrel with floppy ears, a patient expression, and a talent for doing exactly what most television animals are not supposed to do: behaving like herself.

Over the years, Petra appeared alongside presenters, wandered through demonstrations, participated in segments, and generally acted like she was an equal member of the production team. Viewers loved her for it.

She remained on the program for fifteen years, making her the longest-serving Blue Peter pet and one of the most famous animals in British television history.

Behind the scenes, Petra formed a close bond with presenter and actor Peter Purves. She had a reputation for being a little bit nervous and irritable on set, and producers decided she would be happier if one person looked after her. Purves became her handler both on and off screen and cared for her for the rest of her life. The arrangement seemed to suit everyone involved, especially Petra.

As her popularity grew, so did the mythology around her. She had puppies, appeared in newspapers and inspired merchandise. Children wrote letters to her, adults remembered her years later. The BBC eventually placed a bust of Petra in the Blue Peter garden, where it still serves as a reminder of the program's earliest years.

The famous typewriter photograph captures something larger than just a publicity stunt. It comes from a period when television still felt personal enough that children would happily sit down and write letters to a dog they had seen on screen. The BBC printed thousands of photographs to send back, only to discover that thousands more children wanted one too. So the image of Petra at the typewriter, trying to keep up.

Whether she ever finished answering all 60,000 letters remains unclear. But if the caption is to be believed, the real problem was never the workload. It was finding a secretary.

Animals with jobs

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